Two Thai taste temptations

The Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine and Harvey Norman, the cooking appliance specialist, are hosting a special event on 17th November 2010 at the Gourmet Institute. Chef Martin Boetz, one of the world’s leading practitioners of modern Thai cuisine, will be cooking up traditional street-style favourites such as mee grob, crisp rice noodles with prawns, and yellow chicken curry with egg noodles and cucumber relish (khao sawy).

Tickets to this event cost $55 each and can be booked by email or telephone.
email: dgunns@acpmagazines.com.au
Tel: (02) 9282 8396

The ticket price includes wine, canapés, tastings and a gift bag.

I’m sure it will be a wonderful event and I would jump at the chance of attending, but it just seemed a little incongruous to me to go to a luxury gourmet event to learn about Thai street food. Dare I suggest another option?

Sompon Nabnian, one of Thailand’s top chefs who is now internationally renowned, runs a cookery school up north in Thailand in the delightful city of Chiang Mai. He prides himself on having the first and best cookery school in Chiang Mai – and with good reason. If you want to learn how to cook Thai, then go to Sompon’s school. He’s a very talented chef and teacher, is very knowledgeable, and is great fun too. He’s a wonderful advert for The Land of Smiles.

Sompon offers Thai cooking classes and masterclasses. There’s also a gourmet restaurant at the school plus the option of accommodation in his “Stay and Study Program”. Doubtless, despite all the top-notch facilities of the home stay such as a swimming pool, fully equipped kitchen, Internet etc, it won’t match a five-star hotel. But you’ll have an amazing time there and you’ll leave the cookery school with the luxury of being able to cook great Thai food for yourself and friends.

So there are two fantastic options to learn Thai cooking. The choice is yours!